Thursday

Oct 26, 2017 at 11:28 AMOct 26, 2017 at 11:29 AM

Have you ever had a sign from deceased loved ones that they are A-OK in the afterlife? Many say they have. Now a new book gives comfort and encouragement to those who grieve. “Angel Bumps: Hello from Heaven” is a compilation by Anne Bardsley of stories from national writers. (Mill Park Publishing, $14.95, 226 pages, 2017).

Author Bardsley wrote, “An angel bump is a like a luminous light in a dark room.” The 60 true stories share experiences of signs from the spirit world to loved ones left behind.

For example, a week after her mother’s death, Bardsley, while driving, asked for a sign that her mom was in heaven. Suddenly, Bardsley’s car was surrounded with white butterflies. In another of her stories, a distraught mother who just buried her 6-year-old son, shows up at an unfamiliar hair salon at night, not knowing why. There in the gift shop, the mother discovers a children’s book with a lookalike boy on the cover with her son’s name, holding a white rabbit, entitled, “All God’s Creatures Go to Heaven.” In a story by Desiree Moran Fray, she “saw” her deceased mother, an early and devoted pioneer for women’s soccer, cheering in the stands during a game, waving to her as if to say, “I’m here! I’m here!” Blink and she was gone.

Bardsley is a firm believer in angels and the afterlife. She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and owns a gift shop, “Anne’s House of Angels,” the origin of this book idea. People, drawn to her store, often shared stories about spiritual comfort from beyond. She and co-editor Elaine Ambrose sifted through hundreds of stories to create a unique book that brings solace to the grieving.

According to Bardsley, pray for a sign, be patient, and it will come. It is common to want a visitation, or a message through a dream, but it doesn’t always happen that way. Be open to the unexpected; to those “coincidences” that may seem common, but the timing and symbolism are unique to the parties.

Common signs can involve birds, butterflies, a song on the radio, electrical disturbances, a fragrance, or a license plate matching a significant date. Likewise, dreams, visions, similar clothing or encounters with lookalike people can be part of spirit messages.

In my story, a young man at a sandwich shop said I was a ringer for his mother who died two years earlier. Suddenly, I was overcome with maternal warmth from another place. I envisioned his mom in a white dress with bright red blooms. He confirmed it as the dress in which she was buried. I gave him a message that contained a phrase she often used. Very random and unexpected by me since I am so not a small medium at large. In all the stories, the resulting comfort is huge.

October and November are seasons for remembrance. Keep your senses alert for angel bumps, and bring hope to others.

— Email Suzette Standring: suzmar@comcast.net or visit www.readsuzette.com. The award-winning author writes for The Patriot Ledger and is syndicated through GateHouse Media.